New Londoners

New Londoners: Reflections on Home A collection of photographs and writing by young refugees mentored by some of London’s most established and upcoming photographers

I came to the UK in 2001. My first impressions of London were strange. I was in East Ham and it was not like the London I had seen on the television. The experience of seeing different customs and lifestyles was new. After a while, I got to know about these cultures and I came to respect them. Once you get over the strangeness of the difference you understand how many things are the same. WAITING FOR AMY BY BAJRAM SPAHIA FIRST CAME TO LONDON: 2001 PHOTOGRAPHIC MENTORS: ADAM BROOMBERG AND OLIVER CHANARIN

One of my friends was working with the paparazzi and he told me they were looking for a videographer. It sounded fun, filming celebrities, and I needed money. As the days passed, it became a job. These photos were taken as I waited to film celebrities. I have waited in so many places : on the Kings Road for Kate Middleton, outside Madonna’s gym, outside The Ivy for whoever comes, outside Amy Winehouse’s home. Waiting for Kate, Chelsea

Waiting for Charlotte, Wales

Waiting for Heather, Regent’s Park

THEY SEEM TO BE OURS BUT THEY ARE NOT... BY MUSSIE HAILE FIRST CAME TO LONDON: DEC 2006 PHOTOGRAPHIC MENTOR: CRISPIN HUGHES I feel this picture is interesting because it shows how I am living independently.

I like the pockets in these trousers. I can’t find good quality, fashionable clothes in London. They are better in Eritrea.

This picture is interesting and makes me wonder. It was the first time I came into contact with the police in England. I was stopped and searched when I was waiting for Crispin outside Downing Street. Afterwards I took this self-portrait holding the piece of paper they gave me.

At home we make injera and bread as well, by grinding grain to flour. We make dough and cook it on a flat aluminium sheet with fire underneath. We burn wood usually, though you can make your own charcoal. When I was very young we had sheep and goats to make yoghurt but they all perished in the drought.

I saw this for the first time in England. I had never seen it before. Now I know it externally but not yet in detail.

In Eritrea we got water from the lake 3 to 5 kilometres away by donkey. My family had three donkeys. Collecting water was definitely a woman’s job. For washing clothes we would take them to the lake, use Omo and then dry them on the stones.

I live in Streatham Hill with my foster carer, who has been a caring person. I really love the house where I live and thenvironment. The area is really quiet compared to where I come from. Looking at this house where I live it is so big and nice. In my country it would be only for rich people or white people. It is amazing for me, a ‘wow’ for me. My room is big and beautiful and painted in white. I have a big bed. In my country I didn’t have this opportunity, I did not know the meaning of having a big bed because me and my sisters used to sleep five in a bed, sometimes even on the floor. I AM NOT ALONE BY LORIA SIAMIA FIRST CAME TO LONDON: DEC 2005 PHOTOGRAPHIC MENTOR: LIANE HARRIS

The church is so special to me. It is a refuge. It is a French/Lingala church. There are lots of things that make me happy. The most important ones are God, my family, friends, my teacher and people who participate in my success. When I am worried and I ask God why, I know he hears me so I feel happy. My family - even though I don’t know where they all are - are the most important people in my life. I will always remember them. It is because of them that I am who I am now.

Lesley My social worker is one of the most wonderful people I have ever met. She makes me believe in myself, she gave me hope when I didn’t have any. I have become closer to my social worker since taking her portrait.

MAYBE... BY CHALAK ABDULRAHMAN FIRST CAME TO LONDON: DEC 2006 PHOTOGRAPHIC MENTOR: JO METSON SCOTT

Maybe I’ll be happy here. I have not chosen to be here, and have no choice if they want to send me back. I should be happy, but I’m not. I am not able to start my life yet. Not until I get my visa.

I am here but I am always thinking about my city, Kirkuk. I want to live in my city, but can’t. My thoughts are like this all the time, I want to be here, but I don’t know if they will let me stay. I want to be there, but can’t be there either. So what can I do? I like London because there are many different types of people from all over the world living together. Everyone is equal but different.

In my country everyone is the same, we are all Muslim, but we are all fighting. I love my city. But I want to live in London and be equal, when I get the visa. For every time I think of being here, I think of there. Wanting to be here, but missing there.

SIDE BY SIDE BY SHAMIN NAKALEMBE FIRST CAME TO LONDON: DEC 2003 PHOTOGRAPHIC MENTOR: MARYSA DOWLING Naomi Taheisha is a Jamaican dreamer. She was born in London and is imagining she is on the beach in Jamaica. She has only seen pictures of it on the internet, in magazines and on the TV.

Daniel Belfry waits for his usual 8.45am train to Victoria station.

Janet Macintosh has just moved down from Scotland. She enjoys a summer day out on a boat on the River Thames. She wants this photograph to send to her family in Scotland.

AN UNEXPECTED LONDON BY AL-MOUSAOY FIRST CAME TO LONDON: DEC 2006 PHOTOGRAPHIC MENTOR: SUKI DHANDA The way the bird’s head is turned to one side and his chest is pulled out, he looks powerful and strong, like a leader....a king sitting on his throne. He is surrounded by colourful berries, they remind me of the people in his kingdom. I think he is looking for his queen.

I would love to be able to paint pictures but I don’t have the skill. Finally I have found a way to paint with the camera. The girl is walking into the pool from the shallow end, you can’t see her legs clearly as she is moving with the water. The picture is blurred, it reminds me of the thick brush strokes I have seen in paintings.

My friends in Iraq would be shocked if I told them I took this photo in London. They would not believe that some Londoners live in such poor housing. It is just like Iraq - the washing line, the drain pipes, the badly painted door, the only thing which looked out of place were the windows, they looked new.

Peeking the Full Moon BY CHEN FENG CHEN FIRST CAME TO LONDON: NOV 2005 PHOTOGRAPHIC MENTOR: GAYLE CHONG KWAN A ‘foreigner’ lying down in China Town? Well, in fact we are all ‘foreigners.’

Refugees are leaving their homeland for various reasons. They are treated humanely for a short period, but then refugees become a serious problem in civilised, modern countries. Then, they live under the shadow of the sun, hideously and scarily.

Full moon means togetherness for Chinese. But for me, peeking the full moon at a dark corner is the only choice.

SISTERS IN LONDON BY DORKY, BERNY AND FLOWERS FIRST CAME TO LONDON: JAN 2007 PHOTOG RAPHIC MENTORS: SARAH MOON AND ILONA SUSCHITZKY Flowers This is when I went to Southend with my sisters .

Dorky I think I am really lucky to be African and especially to be Congolese. I feel proud of these traditional clothes. Even though I am in England I will never ever forget or hide where I am from and I will always be proud of who I am. I play the guitar, sing and write songs. I want to be a doctor and open a centre for orphans.

Flowers I like this, the colour of the sky and the plastic palm trees.

RIDLEY ROAD BY LAWRENCE STOPWAR FIRST CAME TO LONDON: 1998 PHOTOGRAPHIC MENTOR: JENNY MATTHEWS I chose to photograph in Ridley Road market because it stands out in a unique way; the items that are sold and who sells them, the lifestyle of Hackney in general. The market is a place of survival for a lot of people who cannot get a job anywhere else. The strongest thing is the harmony in the market amongst the retailers. It contributes to its growth. In the market you can find people from everywhere getting on with each other, working together.

Leigh Mayor is among the individuals who has grown up in the market and knows a lot about it. She runs their family fruit and vegetable stall with a helping hand from her mum and her brother. Most of the people do business for the pride and fun of it rather than large scale profits. Their family business has been running in the market for over one hundred years, according to Leigh.

This is a typical day in Dalston market, not a celebration or carnival as you might think. But it is a celebration for some of the sellers to sell their food, and for the customers who like to eat ‘back at home’ foods. This is a typical good weather Saturday when most people have time to shop for their weekly needs. It feels amazing to shop in-between the crowds.

TRINITY AND ME BY SHARAFAT MARJANI FIRST CAME TO LONDON: DEC 2006 PHOTOGRAPHIC MENTOR: ANNA KARI My name is Sharafat. I am myself, I am unlike any other person. I am from Afghanistan but I now live in the UK. Nice people, nice country, I am safe here. But it is not easy for me, things in this country are so hard. I want to build a life for myself here. Nothing big, but something solid. I spend a lot of time at the Trinity Centre, I am here nearly every day, where I get the support of Dost. Trinity is a meeting place for people of many different communities. These are portraits of some of the many people who work here and spend time here. I have been here for 3 years and have been involved with PhotoVoice for all of that time. I like photography because photographs stay forever. A hundred years later people will still see them and remember that this person did some good, that this person is still here, still standing.

Elhum Trinity Community Centre Trustee A few weeks ago, Mekdes and I taught one young person from Dost how to cook eggs. He had been living on canned soup since his arrival in the UK. We put the oil in the pan, added some chopped tomatoes, cracked an egg and waited for it to cook. ‘ It’s so easy!’ he said, amazed. Then the three of us sat around a single plate and ate it with warm bread. ‘It’s so nice!’ he marvelled. Since then, every time he sees me, he informs me of his latest cooking endeavours. I love that when I come to Trinity, one of the many smiles and hellos I get is this one: ‘Elhum, today I made an egg!’ It is in this sense that Trinity is a unique – and at times slightly eccentric – place. It becomes a family to everyone, and I too feel I was adopted the very first time I walked through its doors.

Bali Dost Development Coordinator I like the way that Trinity creates a sense of home and belonging for people. There is a level of acceptance that allows lots of different people to come together. Trinity is like a root and people come back to us whenever they need us – the door is always open. Some people have been here for twenty years, others have been here for two weeks. People who come here respect the values and beliefs of others. When you show someone respect, they give it back; that works from the pensioners down to the kids groups. We are based in the middle of a concrete jungle, but out the front, we have a beautiful garden, so people feel welcome the minute they walk through the gate.

THIS IS ME BY QASIM GUL FIRST CAME TO LONDON: DEC 2006 PHOTOGRAPHIC MENTOR: ANTHONY LAM This is me. I like to be happy. To have good days.

This is the England flag. Next to it are the flags of other countries. It was the day of Eid that I took this picture.

This is Akhtar. Everyone told him not to go up but he did. In our language “to be a lion” means to be courageous.

THE CONGOLESE YOUTH BAND BY IVANO KANKONDE FIRST CAME TO LONDON: 2004 PHOTOGRAPHIC MENTOR: OTHELLO DE‘SOUZA-HARTLEY The man on the left of the picture is my friend. I have known him for four years. Him and the band – the Congolese Youth Band – are very talented musicians. A while after we first met, we ended up living together, along with the drummer as well.

NEW CITIZENS BY TATIANA CORREIA FIRST CAME TO LONDON: 2001 PHOTOGRAPHIC MENTOR: JILLIAN EDELSTEIN I had my citizenship ceremony last summer and to my surprise it was quite emotional. The Town Hall provides a lovely service and makes sure citizens are made to feel welcome and appreciated. It feels like a very positive symbol of ‘real’ multiculturalism.

These images and writings are extracts from the book New Londoners: Reflections on Home published in October 2008, available for £19.99. The book is the result of a six month mentoring project, run in partnership between PhotoVoice and Dost, a community-based service for vulnerable children. For further information about the New Londoners project or to buy the book go to www.photovoice.org The book is published by Trolley www.trolleybooks.com

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New Londoners

by Matt Daw

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